In term 1 the year 3 students Chemical Science: Solids and Liquids. No Gas. The approach was teaching 1-2 lessons per week. The year 3 students worked together and the year 4 students worked together. There was a lack of content in the Australian Curriculum. This term the science teaching took the form of a 3 week block with 1 lesson per day; literacy and numeracy blocks and then a science block in the afternoon. This was more effective than the 1-2 lessons per week as there wasn't the need to revisit each lesson each week. This links with literacy with procedure writing. The challenge then presented that the Year 3's needed to do the procedure but the Year 4's didn't. This meant that when students went back to their normal classes it didn't work to do procedures for half the class. The teachers are looking forward to term 3 where science will be the host area and an integrated unit can be planned where literacy can naturally link.
In term 2 the both Year 3 and 4 explored Earth and Space. The year 3 focuses on space; night and day, orbits, seasons. The Year 4 is on the earth's surface and how it changes over time. So it goes Earth/Space/Earth/Space. There was no logical way to fit the 2 areas together so the teachers maintained the decision to keep the year 3 and 4 separate. This was the same as the chemical science in term 1. The projection for term 3 is that the focus will be biological science and some of the areas of content blend and the separate units for 3 and 4 can combine.
Students need to have the grounding in the content to move on to other areas.
Greg and Fiona are contemplating the 'big question'. Fiona and Greg have focussed on the explanations of night and day.
How does knowing about night and day affect my decisions?
In term 1 the year 3 students Chemical Science: Solids and Liquids. No Gas. The approach was teaching 1-2 lessons per week. The year 3 students worked together and the year 4 students worked together. There was a lack of content in the Australian Curriculum. This term the science teaching took the form of a 3 week block with 1 lesson per day; literacy and numeracy blocks and then a science block in the afternoon. This was more effective than the 1-2 lessons per week as there wasn't the need to revisit each lesson each week. This links with literacy with procedure writing. The challenge then presented that the Year 3's needed to do the procedure but the Year 4's didn't. This meant that when students went back to their normal classes it didn't work to do procedures for half the class. The teachers are looking forward to term 3 where science will be the host area and an integrated unit can be planned where literacy can naturally link.
In term 2 the both Year 3 and 4 explored Earth and Space. The year 3 focuses on space; night and day, orbits, seasons. The Year 4 is on the earth's surface and how it changes over time. So it goes Earth/Space/Earth/Space. There was no logical way to fit the 2 areas together so the teachers maintained the decision to keep the year 3 and 4 separate. This was the same as the chemical science in term 1. The projection for term 3 is that the focus will be biological science and some of the areas of content blend and the separate units for 3 and 4 can combine.
Students need to have the grounding in the content to move on to other areas.
Greg and Fiona are contemplating the 'big question'. Fiona and Greg have focussed on the explanations of night and day.
How does knowing about night and day affect my decisions?